Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Friendly

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A+Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Friendly · FEMA

Less hazard damage per building is expected in Friendly than in 96% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Friendly gets an A+ for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns, #149 of 261 in Maryland. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%), then hurricanes (11%). Flood insurance has paid 4 claims here since 2010.

River and rain flooding 77%Hurricanes 11%Earthquakes 6%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

less than 96%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#149 of 261 in Maryland
Hazard risk
A+#149 of 261
in Maryland · lower than 96% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
77% of expected building damage
Flood claims
4
paid since 2010 · $21K
Flood claims per home
1 per 1,000
fewer than 77% of U.S. towns
By hazard

What Friendly faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

77%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

11%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Earthquakes

6%of expected building damage
About average · lower than 50% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Ice storms Lightning Winter storms Cold waves Landslides Wildfire Heat waves
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts heat waves at 10% of Friendly’s expected losses. Heat waves do little damage to buildings (0.0%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Friendly’s grade

River and rain flooding is 77% of the building damage FEMA expects in Friendly, and Friendly’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts. Next is hurricanes at 11% (higher than 72% of U.S. census tracts).

Where Friendly sits
Friendly
Least damageMiddleMost damage

A+ #149 of 261 in Maryland; lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Friendly’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding77%Hurricanes11%Earthquakes6%Everything else6%

The typical Maryland town has lower expected damage than 97% of U.S. towns; within the state, Friendly has more expected damage per building than 57% of Maryland towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.2M a year in losses across Friendly: $902K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

A small-area figure. Friendly covers 3 census tracts, combined by where residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Friendly flood? Rarely: 4 flood claims since 2010

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Friendly, from FEMA’s records: 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2010: 1 claim2011: 1 claim2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 1 claim2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims201020112018
20102026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irene1 claim · $4K
4
paid claims since 2010
$21K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$5K
average claim
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Friendly isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Prince George's County.
Disasters

The storms Friendly remembers

None of the 15 disasters declared for Prince George's County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Friendly itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.

  1. 20101 flood claims paidThe year of Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorms, declared for Prince George's County
  2. 20111 flood claims paidThe year of Remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, declared for Prince George's County
  3. 20181 flood claims paidNo declaration for the county that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in FriendlyPrince George's County only

Prince George's County has had 15 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often winter storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Friendly after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Friendly archive →
Next door

Friendly and its neighbors

Friendly is 4th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Clinton: hazard risk A+Oxon Hill: hazard risk A+Camp Springs: hazard risk A+Fort Washington: hazard risk AClintonOxon HillCamp SpringsFort WashingtonFriendly
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Camp SpringsA+less damage than 98%river and rain flooding31
Oxon HillA+less damage than 97%river and rain flooding6
ClintonA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding45
FriendlyA+less damage than 96%river and rain flooding4
Fort WashingtonAless damage than 93%river and rain flooding45

Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.

Be ready

Get ready for what Friendly faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
  • Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
  • Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Friendly

Is Friendly at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Friendly has lower expected damage per building than 96% of U.S. towns: A+ for hazard risk, #149 of 261 in Maryland. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (77%) and hurricanes (11%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Friendly flood?

Flood insurance has paid 4 claims in Friendly since 2010, $21K in all, or 1.1 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 77% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irene (1).

Is Friendly in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Prince George's County, 0.9% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.

How much is flood insurance in Friendly?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Friendly’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Friendly?

By flood claims, Hurricane Irene: 1 paid, $4K.

Is Friendly at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (77%), and Friendly’s rate for it is lower than 82% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Friendly.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Friendly’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.